Category: US History (HIS 222-820)

Women , minorities, and the LGBT communities achieved varies amounts of success. There were various movements during this time. Some included Dr. Martin Luther King’s nonviolent protests, which sought desegregation and equality, the counter culture movement, and woman’s rights movement. While there was a good deal of progress from the 50s to the 70s, there was also great discord in the United States. This turmoil … Continue reading Discord in America

Millions of Americans watched in awe from at home on their television as they watched Martin Luther King Jr gave his speech before the Lincoln Memorial. The 1960’s was perhaps the single most pivotal moment in recent American history for the various civil rights movements that rose up during this time. It was a time where liberalism was being reinvigorated by both President Kennedy and … Continue reading The Decade That Divided Us

Can you imagine turning on your television one day and seeing buildings in your hometown burning along with riots in full force? Sadly, this was the case during a few events in the civil rights era. From the 1950s – 1970s, there were several social issues in the United States with many groups, sparking the start of battles to be fought for equal access and … Continue reading The Battle for Equality

During the 1950’s all the way through the 70’s people were fighting for equal rights. The Civil Rights Movement spread into and across the deep south in the 60’s, pushing to end legalized segregation and disenfranchisement, which was ultimately ended in 1965. While a big part of the Civil Rights Movement was fair treatment for African Americans, they were not the only group fighting for … Continue reading The fight for equal access

Topic: Consider the battles being fought for equal access from the 1950s through the 1970s. Make sure to think about all groups (women, racial minorities, LGBT) involved. How effective were the civil rights movements of that time? Which group gained the most? In what manner? Continue reading Blog Topic #8 for HIS 222 INET

The way I see it, the Vietnam War created a war both overseas and back on the homefront. There was limited middle ground as people either strongly supported the war or deeply opposed it. The most “middle ground” in my opinion were the “…working class women and African Americans with grade-school educations and low paying jobs (that) opposed the war but had little interest in … Continue reading War on All Fronts: The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War is probably one of the darkest points in US history alongside the subjugation of the Native Americans. A war primarily on the principal of a political agenda, often believed to be the defense of Democracy across the globe. At the time most politicians in the states ascribed to the Domino Theory and its ramifications in that losing one country in Southeast Asia … Continue reading A War Abroad and at Home

The events that started the Vietnam War began after WW2. After Japan’s defeat in WW2 it withdrew its troops from Vietnam. Once Japan’s troops left, Emperor Bao Dai stayed in control but shortly after Ho chi Minh saw an opportunity to take control and created a military force. Ho Chi Minh forces took over the city of Hanoi (Located in the north) and declared it … Continue reading The Dividing of America

Spanning over 25 years, the Vietnam War was one fought over differing political views. After the Japanese left Vietnam in 1945, the French elected Emperor Bao Dai in control. However, Ho Chi Minh who helped form the League for Independence of Vietnam, was elected the president of what was later known at North Vietnam. The Vietminh, members of the League for Independence of Vietnam, seized … Continue reading Vietnam: Dividing America

Topic: How did the Vietnam War impact America? For your answer, think about: the role of media, racial tensions, expansion of presidential power, American protest, and changing foreign and domestic policy. Continue reading Blog Topic #7 for HIS 222 INET

The attack of Pearl Harbor was very devastating to America. This event caused a new found hatred of Japanese people. Before the war there was discrimination of Asian immigrants and even their American born children. There were segregation laws, prevented intermarriage with whites, and they weren’t able to become citizens. Once Pearl Harbor was attacked there was even more discrimination against Japanese people. In an … Continue reading Japanese Internment

The internment of Japanese Americans was the forced relocation and incarceration in camps by the United States during World War II. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States issued the executive order 9066, which empowered the military to round up anyone of Japanese ancestry and placed them in internment camps. The executive order was believed to prevent espionage on American shores. The internment … Continue reading Japanese Americans During WWII

Discuss the American internment of Japanese Americans. Consider the national justification for internment, living conditions, and the impact on Japanese Americans. How do you think the internment of Japanese Americans affected their conceptions of citizenship? How would you feel if you were in the same position: a law-abiding, American citizen who was rounded up and essentially jailed for something beyond your control? Continue reading Blog Topic #6 for HIS 222 INET

The eighteenth amendment was approved in 1917, and by 1920, the prohibition was in full effect. The prohibition was known as the ban of the sale, manufacture, and transport of alcohol, and was supposed to reverse the evil that alcohol consumption has caused in the United States. Naturally, this caused a division between Americans and their views. Was it an effective way to clean up … Continue reading The Prohibition

December 18, 1917, Congress approved the 18th amendment. The 18th amendment banned the sale, manufacturer, and delivering of intoxicating liquors. Prohibition went into effect in 1920 and Congress ratified the Volstead Act which stated any alcoholic beverage with 0.5% alcohol would face criminal prosecution. Congress never gave enough money to enforce wide scale enforcement due to illegal drinking. Congress thought by approving this amendment that … Continue reading The Pros but mostly Cons of The Prohibtion

The Prohibition, or formally known as the 18th amendment, was a time in American history that began in 1920 and lasted for 13 years till December of 1933. It was the ban of the manufacturing, transporting and sales of intoxicating liquors in the United States. Now why would this happen at this time in America, the land of the free, where people come to fulfill … Continue reading The Wets Vs. The Drys

The eighteenth amendment was one of those that looking back makes you scratch your head and think, how did this happen? The amendment banned the sale, distributing, and manufacturing of intoxicating beverages with a 0.5 percent alcohol (21.2.2). This was such an ignored amendment by the public that when federal agent, Izzy Einstein, timed himself to see how long it would take him to find … Continue reading Prohibition: What Were They Thinking?

World War I began in 1914 when the Germans invaded France. When they crossed through Belgium, Great Britain declared war against Germany to honor an agreement to protect Belgium sovereignty. Soon the other European Nations including Austria-Hungary, and Russia joined the fray. The United States initially believed it would be best to stay neutral. Between 1914-1917 German spies spent $12 million dollars to support rebel … Continue reading Free Speech During WWI

During the start of World War I, Americans were unsure of whether they wanted to start fighting a war or not and debated if it was theirs to fight. Americans knew that going into the war, it would require a lot of power to be successful and win the war. There was internal conflict in joining the war as many Americans were immigrants of both … Continue reading America: Land of the (not so) Free

The Espionage Act of 1917 “made it a crime to obstruct military recruitment, to encourage mutiny, or to aid the enemy by spreading lies”. This act was extended a year later with the Sedition Act. The Sedition Act made it illegal for anyone to say, write, or publish anything about the war. These acts infringed upon Americans’ right to free speech by prohibiting them to … Continue reading Civil Rights during World War I

Topic: Discuss the issue of civil rights during World War I while paying special attention to the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 (and their relation to free speech). Some Americans were deprived of their civil rights due to their ethnicity or attitude towards labor unions. Put yourself in the position of those arrested. Did issues of national security justify an alteration … Continue reading Blog Topic #4 for HIS 222 (Online)

Riding the waves of reform from the late 1800’s, progressives sought a more permanent change to their quality of life when it came to major corporations. Campaigning alongside other major groups such as the socialist this group was after terms considered much less demanding but necessary nonetheless. This was a group dominated by the middle class as well as societal … Continue reading A Democratic Paradise in a Capitalistic Inferno

The time period from 1895-1915 is known as the Progressive Era in America. A diverse group of reformers known as “Progressives” were attempting to protect the American people from the greed and ruthlessness of big businesses. They believed that regulation from the government on every level was the best way to achieve this objective. An example of big business’s ruthlessness was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory … Continue reading The People Strike Back: The Progressive Era

The progressive era spanned from 1890’s to 1920’s, the progressives were about eliminating the problems caused by industrialization, immigration and corruption in the government. The progressive mainly targeted the political machines. The progressive’s success in building alliances with the middle class and political parties gained the support of three presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. Over the next decade these three president … Continue reading The Progressive Era